Exegesis of Matthew 6:5-15

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.⁹ Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:5-15 (ESV)

Introduction

The goal of this post is to provide an exegesis of Matthew 6:5-15. Prior to this, a brief discussion of the context of this Gospel, within its historical frame, will be presented. An attempt to apply the theological lessons of these verses to contemporary lives will proceed this. It will be contended that Matthew 6:5-15 presents Jesus as one who teaches His followers how to relate to God in prayer: that God desires a relationship that is so intimate that we may desire the things that God desires. This relationship is to be characterized by a total dependence on God, both physically and spiritually.

Context

The traditional position of attributing authorship of this Gospel to the Apostle Matthew has not been without challenge or question. The identity of the author, as well as the date of authorship, will affect our understanding of the Gospel. Therefore, within this section, the historical-cultural context (authorship, dating, and purpose) and literary context of Matthew’s Gospel will be discussed. The proposed source material for Matthew—i.e. the Synoptic problem—will generally not be addressed.[1]

Authorship

The fact that the author of this Gospel never explicitly identifies himself is not a unique feature, as the other three also follow in this tradition. Osborne believes that this was practiced to draw more attention and glory to the Lord and God of all the authors—Jesus Christ.[2] Although, for Matthew, the lack of attribution could be a sign of his opinion of himself before the Lord. In other words, knowing his past life of sin (as a tax collector, he may have found it easy to cheat his countrymen by extorting money from them) may have motivated Matthew (who may have been esteemed as an Apostle) to remove himself from focus and place it upon Jesus.

Although the autographs of Matthew were most likely anonymous, Carson points out that there is a lack of suggestive evidence contrary to the notion that the circulating manuscripts were absent of the heading: κατὰ Ματθαῖον (kata Matthaion), “from/by Matthew.”[3] Also, we have the testimony of several early church fathers, most from the East, who have uniformly identified Matthew (Levi) as the author. The earliest testimony comes to us from Papias in the first quarter of the second century. He mentions that Matthew had compiled, “an ordered account of the oracles in the Hebrew tongue, and each interpreted those oracles according to his ability.”[4] Along with Papias, Irenaeus (who was a disciple of the Apostle John), Clement of Alexandria, and Origen all attributed Matthew as the author.[5] An important feature that helps to accept the authority of the Gospel is the fact that, at least, pieces of it were used in widespread fashion for liturgy and liturgical teaching.[6] Evidence for this is found within the Didache 8.2, which employs the form of the Lord’s Prayer as that found in the sixth chapter of Matthew.

Date

There are several factors that affect how one dates Matthew; due to the amount of time and space that this would require, a complete discussion of them will not be permitted, however. It is often assumed among scholars that Matthew used Mark’s Gospel (dated between A.D. 50-70) as a source.[7] If this is the case, then it is safe to assume an early date. Furthermore, if we take the assumption that Matthew was, at least in part, attempting to reach out to his Jewish brethren, then two options are presented. He either penned it prior to A.D. 70, which was before the relationship between followers of Jesus and the Jews soured. The second option is one that John took when he wrote his Gospel. Matthew waited until several years after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple to write, which allowed for sufficient time to pass after the Temple was destroyed hoping for minds to have become more open to listening to the gospel.[8] Fenton takes the latter approach in assigning a later date to Matthew, A.D. 85. He does so, however, based upon, what he perceives, as an anti-Semitic tone throughout Matthew.[9]

There is also language within Matthew that makes it seem as if this Gospel was written prior to A.D. 70, which was prior to the destruction of the Temple (Matt. 5:23-24; 23:16-22). Furthermore, the church fathers aren’t just unanimous about Matthew being the author, they also ascribe an early date to it.[10] Therefore, it is likely safe to assume a date between A.D. 50 and A.D. 70.

 Purpose

Unlike John’s Gospel, Matthew does not relate a purpose within the text. However, using clues within some of the major themes of the text, we may be able to infer a set of possible purposes. First, Matthew portrays Jesus as the Messiah pointed to in the Hebrew scriptures (Matt. 1:20 to Gen. 3:15; Matt. 1:22-23 to Isa. 7:14; Matt. 2:1 to Mic. 5:2; Matt. 11:13-14 to Mal. 4:5-6). In other words, Matthew was presenting the gospel to his readers. Adding to this discussion, there are several details within Matthew that are explicitly Jewish. Based upon this, it can be assumed that Matthew may have been attempting to reach a Jewish audience.[11]  Second, Jesus is presented as being rejected by the Jews (Matt. 13:53-58) and the Jewish leaders (Matt. 12) of the day. Matthew was calling on his readers, which many were either Jews or Jewish proselytes, to make a choice between who to follow. Finally, Matthew presents the inauguration of the eschaton by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus, Matthew was communicating to his readers that the time for making their decision was short.[12]

Literary Context

Matthew 6:5-15 can be broken into four sections, verses: 5-6, 7-8, 9-13, and 14-15. Each of these sections can be broken down into subsections. Verses 5-6 contain a prohibition against trying to gain notoriety from others for praying (v. 5); also Jesus exhorts His listeners toward seeking the Father’s favor in secret prayer (v. 6). Verses 7-8 also contains two subsections each have their own prohibition set against pagan forms of prayer. First, He warns against repeated babbling in hopes of garnering the Lord’s attention (v. 7). Next, Jesus warns against having the pagan mentality of prayer, we are to have confidence that the Father hears His children (v. 8). Verses 9-13, unlike the previous two sections, contain three subsections: an introduction to the model prayer (v. 9a), God-centered petitions (vv. 9b-10), and man-centered petitions (vv. 11-13). Finally, within the concluding two verses, Jesus speaks to the conditional forgiveness formula: if you forgive, God will forgive you (v. 14); if you resist forgiving others, God will not forgive you (v. 15).[13]

Matthew 6:5-15 occurs during Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29). Specifically, it is the “heart” of the section that addresses the inner life and condition of a child of God. The area of life addressed is that of prayer—the prayer of the unregenerate man versus the prayer of a regenerate man. The overall theme of this section is one that teaches total trust and personal dependence upon the Lord, on His terms.

 Analysis of the Text (Matt. 6:5-15)

Within this section, an exegesis of the text will be attempted. This section will also include some relevant word studies and grammar analysis. The primary Greek manuscript to be used in this section include the Society of Biblical Literature Greek New Testament (SBLGNT).[14] Lexical information will be taken from the Mickelson’s Enhanced Strong’s Dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments (M-Strong).[15] The English translation that will be employed is the English Standard Version (ESV).[16]

 Matthew 6:5-6

Within these verses, Jesus points out issues that he has with some forms of Jewish prayer. He tells his followers not to be like the ὑποκριταί (hypokritai), “hypocrites” (v. 5). These people are ὑποκριταί because of their motives. Later, in the same verse, Jesus describes their behavior and their prevenient motivation. Nicoll informs us that Jewish prayer had become systematized after Ezra—special days and times, liturgical in nature.[17] However, although the local synagogue was often the expected location for prayer, there was no specific area officially prescribed for this.[18] Therefore, if a Jew was conducting business and the time for prayer was upon him, he could fulfill his spiritual obligation where he was. Thus, when Jesus speaks of these ὑποκριταί standing, “in the synagogues and at the street corners,” (v. 5) he is describing this. However, he then describes their motivation both for the location of their prayers and for the fact that they are praying, “that they may be seen by others” (v. 5). Therefore, he is deriding these people for their motivation (their desire to be thought highly of by others for seeming to be pious), not for the fact that they are praying in the open.

Jesus closes this verse with, “they have received their reward” (v. 5). For “reward,” ἀπέχουσι (apechousi) is employed. This indicates that all those who follow the pattern of these hypocrites can attain no more from their behavior than the esteem of others. In other words, God shall not act on their behalf, nor can they have the assurance that the Lord has heard them.

In verse 6, Jesus moves from the prohibition, in verse 5, to the descriptive-prescriptive. The opening phrase begins with σὺ (su), “you,” which indicates that Matthew is essentially calling out the singular reader of this Gospel. In other words, Jesus is saying, “I’m talking directly to you.” Thus, when Jesus says, “when you pray” (v. 6), the expectation is that the person reading this communes with the Almighty and doesn’t passively have others pray for them.

Next, he describes how “you” should pray, “go into your room and shut the door” (v. 6). On the face of it, it seems as if Jesus is telling us that we must do exactly this if we are to pray correctly. However, one must keep this in the context that it is reported in. Just prior, he was speaking of the hypocrites’ bad motivation for praying, “seen by others.” Therefore, it is more likely that Jesus provides this to juxtapose our needed motivation versus the hypocrites’. In other words, programmatic and liturgical prayers nor the locations make a prayer right or wrong. What makes them right or wrong is with the heart and motivations that we are uttering them.

Jesus describes God as being κρυπτῷ (kruptoi), “in secret,” which seems to speak of a desire of God’s that we reserve something about ourselves only for Him. In other words, the hypocrites’ prayers were for others to see and for their own esteem. However, the prayers of one whose heart is captivated by the Lord are for the Lord, for Him to see and to hear. This speaks of a hidden, inward intimacy between the believer and the Lord. Thus, akin to the relationship between an earthly father and his beloved child, the heavenly Father, “will reward you” (v. 6) within this context.

 Matthew 6:7-8

Next, Jesus lets the Gentile-pagans have it, as he will describe what is wrong with their prayers. He tells us that we are not to βατταλογήσητε (battalogesete), “talk repetitiously and tediously” (from, βαττος, “a proverbial stammerer”) when we pray (v. 7). Specifically, he points out the Gentiles as an object lesson, as they believed that their pantheon of gods was generally uninterested in man. Thus, to get any kind of desirable response, they would repeat a prayer formula, call out names of supposed deities, or use supposed magical words in order to irritate the “god” to action.[19] This makes sense in light of Jesus’ following phrase, “they think that they will be heard for their many words” (v. 7).

Next, Jesus invites us not to be “like them,” ὁμοιωθῆτε (homoiothete). In other words, do not assimilate, compare with, or be similar to them. As they obviously have no knowledge of the true and Living God who, “knows…before” (v. 8). In the Gentile world, the deities do not care, do not know, and must be annoyed to get their attention. In reality, the Father cares enough to know, “what you need before you ask him” (v. 8). This leads to the obvious question, why pray if God knows what we need beforehand? Because the Father desires to hear the voice of his beloved ones; He desires to respond to the needs of their heart. Furthermore, this is part of the intimate, inner, heart relationship described, earlier.

Matthew 6:9-13

Throughout these verses, Jesus describes the model prayer. It is subdivided into three sections: an introduction, God-centered petitions, and person-centered petitions.[20] Osborne comments that this model prayer is intended to be just that, a model.[21] It is ironic that the very people that Jesus gave this model to have taken it and used it as a liturgical formal prayer.

The introduction is short, “Pray then like this,” (v. 9). While it is short, it serves as an important dividing line. Prior to this point, much of the discussion has been object-lessons from Jewish and Gentile religious society about how to pray. With the use of ὑμεῖς, which is used to communicate an emphatic, “you,” to prescribe this to a true follower of Jesus, as it follows προσεύχεσθε (proseuchesthe), “to pray to God.” The person who realizes that God knows him knows what he needs, and desires that he is not to be showy in his prayers needs to realize that the next few verses are for “you.”

“Our Father” (v. 9). The most significant word in this phrase is ἡμῶν (hymon), “of us, our,” as it precedes, “Father”. In other words, He is ours, personally; to each who call out to Him from a proper position, you belong to Him. He is the personal “Father in heaven” of all who are a true disciple of Jesus. If this is true of us, then we may have a high degree of confidence and trust that He hears us and desires the best for us, according to His plan. In summary, He is with us and we are always before Him (imminent).

The phrase, “in heaven” (v. 9), speaks to the power and transcendence of God. He is so great that, as the Father, He does not reside in this world; instead, He transcends it, by residing in οὐρανοῖς (ouranois), “heaven”. This speaks to the immense love and care of the Father. He is so great that He resides in the secret and invisible οὐρανοῖς, yet has condescended Himself to be ὑμεῖς Πάτερ (hymeis Pater), emphatically and literally, “your Father”.

The first God-centered petition occurs here to conclude this verse, “hallowed be your name” (v. 9). The word used for, “hallowed,” is ἁγιασθήτω (hagiastheto), which communicates the utter importance that this occurs. An implied message here may be that all those who represent the name of God (disciples) are to live in such a way that holiness is exemplified.[22]

“Your kingdom come,” (v 10) is the second of the three God-centered petitions. The key term is βασιλεία (basileia), “kingdom,” which, contrary to modern thinking, does not refer to a realm to which God does, or will, rule. Rather, it refers to the authority to rule, the very fact of the royalty of God. In other words, it sounds like a petition for God to impose his authority upon a fallen world. Further, it could refer to the desire of Jesus’ disciples to see the world evangelized and the lost saved—i.e. for God’s rule and authority to come over the lives of those outside of it.[23] Next, is the final God-centered petition, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10), which is speaking of how God desires things to occur. There is an eschatological end for creation and everything in it. It will be at this point, that God’s complete and perfect will finally be revealed.

Next, through verses 11-13, the three person-centered petitions occur. It begins with “Give us this day our daily bread” (v. 11). This verse speaks of total dependence upon our Father for all our physical needs. However, it also speaks to the position that we should be in when we enjoy a simple meal. This petition is an acknowledgment that our very “daily bread” comes directly from the hand of our Father. Furthermore, it acknowledges that God performs this for us every single day. Therefore, regardless of how hard we have worked, we are still left in a position of thankfulness and gratitude before the Lord (which, when you realize it, is a good position to be in). However, it goes beyond our meals, as ἐπιούσιον (epiousion) is used here. While the meaning of ἐπιούσιον has been debated, it most likely refers to that which is necessary to sustain or to maintain existence.[24] Therefore, this is an acknowledgment that we stand totally dependent upon the Father for our physical needs, even those beyond our daily meals.

In the twelfth verse, the relationship of forgiveness is presented in the second person-centered petition. We ask God to, “forgive us our debts.” The word used for “debt” is ὀφειλήματα (opheilemata), which speaks to something that is owed, a due, or a fault. The word, ἀφίημι (aphiemi), is used here for, “forgive.” However, it also denotes something that is sent away. In other words, when God forgives us the great sin debt that we owe, He sends it away—it’s gone. However, there is a condition to this, which is presented in the following sentence. We ask God to forgive us, “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This phrase and the order that it occurs in is interesting. The act of God forgiving us is coupled with us forgiving others’ debts  (ὀφειλέταις, opheletais) that are owed to us. In other words, not only is God inviting us to join with Him in the act of graciously forgiving others, but He takes it so seriously that His act of forgiving us is predicated on our ability and willingness to forgive others.[25] This will also be touched on in verse 14.

In the thirteenth verse, we find the final petition, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Πειρασμόν (peirasmon), which is used for “temptation,” refers to “adversity, a trial/test, or temptation.” However, this leads us to a theological problem, James affirms that God cannot tempt us (James 1:13). What, then, is meant by the petition of asking God to not lead us into temptation? Since we already know that God cannot lead us into it, it must mean something else. For instance, it may be a petition for God not to let us fall into, nor to succumb to, temptation.[26] The concluding phrase strengthens the previously stated position, “deliver us from evil.” However, the phraseology of this translation seems a bit misleading, as “from evil,” doesn’t seem to identify what or whom, specifically, we’re asking God to deliver us from. The word used for “evil,” is, πονηροῦ (ponerou). Which, being that it’s in the singular-masculine form, likely is speaking of the devil; who is much more specific and personal than plain, “evil.” Therefore, it is the devil, Satan, our enemy, that we are asking God to keep us from. The context of the whole sentence suggests that, in the first part of this verse, we are asking God to strengthen us so that we do not fall prey to the devil.

Matthew 6:14-15

Verses fourteen and fifteen are not part of the Lord’s prayer (above). Instead, they comprise additional comments made by Jesus to add emphasis on an issue that He seems to consider of high importance—i.e. forgiveness as a disciple. The first section, verse fourteen, presents what Jesus expects of His followers, that we would be a people of forgiveness. This is what Jesus expects of us because anything that we forgive others for is minuscule compared to God’s forgiveness of our sins against His holy character. However, it also speaks to the pattern of the child taking up the role of their father. Likewise, the children of God are to do as their Father has done—forgive.

The fifteenth verse illustrates the severity of the people having a heart so hard that they exhibit the unwillingness to forgive others, “neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” However, the context here does not point to an easy road to damnation. In other words, perfection in this regard is not demanded; only a willing heart that is pointed toward forgiveness. The Lord is a God of reconciliation, He is reconciling the sons and daughters of man to Himself through His Son. Therefore, as agents of God (witnesses), we also must follow this pattern and point to Jesus through forgiveness.

Application

As children of God, we need to be very careful not to abuse our relationship with God. In other words, contrary to the Jews presented in verse 5, we must not use pious prayers to gain attention in the eyes of others. God knows our hearts and he sees our motivations (John 2:23-25). Furthermore, we need not pray the prayer forms of the Gentiles presented in verse 6. As Jesus said, our Father already knows what we need. As disciples, we should be free to live in a relationship of total trust and devotion to God. Therefore, our prayers need not be of a certain length, etc., but merely from a heart that is directed to the God who hears His children and gives to them good gifts (Luke 11:13).

When we pray, we need to be aware of who we are speaking with. Not only are we speaking to the God who is so great and powerful that He transcends this world, “in heaven” (v. 9a); we are also conversing with the God who loves us so much that He is with us and we are always before Him, “Our Father” (v. 9a). God has promised to tabernacle with His people (Ex. 33:12-17), as such, when we pray to God, we can be assured of His presence. Therefore, when we are aware of who this God is, we can be in the mind to worship Him.

Prayer to God, in the realization of who He is, becomes an acknowledgment of our total dependence upon Him. We rely on Him for every physical need (v. 11) and for every spiritual need (v. 12). Therefore, prayer becomes an expression of thanksgiving and trust in the Lord. In part, we pray to God because we need Him. Furthermore, we pray to God because He desires to hear our voice; He already knows what we need, yet He desires that we ask Him (v. 8).

Conclusion

In Jesus’ exposition on prayer, in Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus teaches His disciples using two object lessons: the poor motivation of some Jews; and the ignorant and useless prayers of the Gentiles. Further, within the context of the Lord’s prayer (vv. 9-13), Jesus taught His followers that prayer is an opportunity to strengthen and deepen one’s relationship with God (vv. 6, 9, 11). He also taught His followers that we are not to abuse our relationship with the Father, not to be flashy and showy with our prayers, not to portray a false piety. Instead, Jesus desires His followers to be what they were made to be: in a fruitful relationship with God (vv. 6, 9, 11), totally dependent upon God for all things (vv. 10, 11-13), and living within a spirit of grace and forgiveness (vv. 12, 14-15).

 

Bibliography

Carson, D. A. and Moo, Douglas J. An Introduction to The New Testament, 2^nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

Carson, D. A. God with Us: Themes from Matthew. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1985.

Erdman, Charles R. The Gospel of Matthew: An Exposition. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1920.

Fenton, J. C. The Gospel of Saint Matthew (Baltimore, MD: Pelican Books, 1963

Kistemaker, Simon J. “The Lord’s Prayer in the First Century,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 21:4 (December 1978): 323-328.

Kostenberger, Andreas J. Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective, 2^nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

Lea, Thomas D. and Black, David Alan. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2003

Mickelson, Johnathan K. Mickelson’s Enhanced Strong’s Dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments: English Dictionaries of the Textus Receptus, the 1550 Stephanus, and 1525 Ben Chayyim, 2^nd ed. (LivingSon Press, 2015), theWord Bible Software.

Nicoll, W. Robertson. The Expositor’s Greek Testament, vol. I. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1910.

Osborne, Grant R. Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010.

Pennington, Jonathan T. “The Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 12:1 (Spring 2008): 44-51.

Rigaux, Beda. Temoinage de l’evangile de Matthieu. Paris: Desclee de Brouwer, 1967.

Society of Biblical Literature Greek New Testament (March 2012) www.sblgnt.com (accessed December 1, 2016).

 

Endnotes      

[1] For a brief discussion on this issue, see: Grant Osborne, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 35-8; Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: It’s Background and Message, 2^nd ed. (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2003), 113-30.

[2] Ibid., 33.

[3] D. A. Carson & Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 2^nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 140.

[4] Beda Rigaux, Temoinage de l’evangile de Matthieu (Paris: Desclee de Brouwer, 1967), 5.

[5] Osborne, Matthew, 33.

[6] Simon J. Kistemaker, “The Lord’s Prayer in the First Century,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 21:4 (December 1978), 326-7.

[7] Carson and Moo, Intro to New Testament, 152.

[8] Andreas J. Kostenberger, Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective, 2^nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 8.

[9] J. C. Fenton, The Gospel of Saint Matthew (Baltimore, MD: Pelican Books, 1963), 11.

[10] Carson and Moo, Intro to New Testament, 152-5.

[11] Charles R. Erdman, The Gospel of Matthew: An Exposition (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1920), 8-9.

[12] Carson and Moo, Intro to New Testament, 158.

[13] Osborne, Matthew, 224.

[14] Society of Biblical Literature (March 2012) www.sblgnt.com (accessed December 1, 2016).

[15] Johnathan K. Mickelson, Mickelson’s Enhanced Strong’s Dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments: English Dictionaries of the Textus Receptus, the 1550 Stephanus, and 1525 Ben Chayyim, 2^nd ed. (LivingSon Press, 2015), theWord Bible Software.

[16] English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2007).

[17] W. Robertson Nicoll, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, vol. I. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1910), 117-8.

[18] Osborne, Matthew, 225.

[19] Nicoll, Expositors Greek NT, 119.

[20] D. A. Carson, God with Us: Themes from Matthew (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1985), 43.

[21] Osborne, Matthew, 227.

[22] Osborne, 228.

[23] Johnathan T. Pennington, “The Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 12:1 (Spring 2008): 47-8.

[24] Osborne, Matthew, 229.

[25] Nicoll, Expositor’s Greek NT, 121-2.

[26] Osborne, Matthew, 230.